Sociology chapter 15

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• refers to power relations wherever they exist, including those in everyday life• the exercise of power and attempts to maintain or to change power relations

power

• the ability to get your way even over the resistance of others• Max Weber

micropolitics

• the exercise of power in everyday life, such as deciding who is going to do the housework or use the remote control

macropolitics

• the exercise of large-scale power, the government being the most common example

authority

• power that people consider legitimate, as rightly exercised over them• legitimate power• Max Weber

coercion

• power that people do not accept as right exercised over them• illegitimate power• Max Weber

state

• a political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country• Max Weber said this claims both exclusive right to use violence and the right to punish everyone else who uses violence

revolution

• armed resistance with the intent to overthrow and replace a government, is not only a people's rejection of a government's claim to rule over them but also their rejection of its monopoly on violence• people assert that right for themselves• If successful, they establish a new state in which they claim the right to monopolize violence

3 sources of authority

• Max Weber1. traditional2. rational-legal3. charismatic

traditional authority

• throughout history, the most common basis for authority has been this• which is based on custom, is the hallmark of tribal groups• custom dictates basic relationships• birth into a particular family makes an individual the chief, king, or queen

rational-legal authority

• not on custom but on written rules• authority based on law or written rules and regulations• also called bureaucratic authority• the ruler's word is subject to the law

charismatic authority

• authority based on an individual's outstanding traits, which attract followers• they believe that individual has been touched by God or has been endowed by nature with exceptional qualities• authority from these leaders resides in their ability to attract follows, which is often based on their sense of a special mission or calling• pose a threat to the established political order

routinization of charisma

• the transition of authority from a charismatic leader to either traditional or rational-legal authority• Max Weber

city-states

• an independent city whose power radiates outward, bringing the adjacent area under its rule• power radiating outward from the city like a spider's web

monarchy

• a king or queen whose right to rule was passed on to their children• a form of government headed by a king or queen

state

• the political enemy that claims a monopoly on the use of violence within a territory - came into being

democracy

• a system of government in which authority derives from the people; the term comes from two Greek words that translate literally as "power to the people"

direct democracy

• a form of democracy in which eligible voters meet together to discuss issues and make their decisions

representative democracy

• democracy a form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to meet together to discuss issues and make decisions on their behalf• concept based on citizenship

citizenship

• by virtue of birth and residence people have basic rights • the concept that birth (and residence) in a country impacts basic rights

universal citizenship

• everyone having the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen) • the idea that everyone has the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen

dictatorship

• a form of government in which an individual has seized power

oligarchy

• a form of government in which a small group of individuals holds power• the rule of the many by the few

totalitarian

• almost total control of a people by the government

proportional legislature

• the seats in the legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes that each party receives• an electoral system in which seats in a legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes that each political party receives

noncentrist party

• those that propose less popular ideas, such as the shutting down of nuclear reactors• a political party that represents less central (or popular) ideas

centrist party

• a political party that represents the center of political opinion• the U.S. has these

coalition government

• a government in which a country's largest party aligns itself with one of more smaller parties• these governments tend to be less stable that that of the United States

voter apathy

• indifference and inaction on the part of individuals or groups with respect to the political process

special-interest group

• consists of people who think alike on a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action

lobbyist

• people who are paid to influence legislation on behalf of their clients

political action committee (PACs)

• an organization formed by one or more special-interest groups to solicit and spend funds for the purpose of influencing legislation• solicit then use the large total to influence legislations• most however, represent the financial interests of specific groups, such as the dairy, oil, banking, and construction industries

anarchy

• a condition of lawlessness or political disorder caused by the absence of collapse of governmental authority• a condition of disorder and violence

pluralism

• diffusion of power among many special-interest groups, prevents any one group from gaining control of the government and using it to oppress the people• keeps the U.S. government from turning against its citizens• pluralism the diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government

checks and balances

• designed to ensure that no one branch of government dominates the others• the separation of powers among the three branches of U.S. government - legislative, executive, and judicial - so that each is able to nullify the actions of the other two, thus preventing the domination of any single branch

3 branches of U.S. government

1. the executive branch (the president)2. the judiciary branch (the courts)3. the legislative branch (the Senate and the House of Representatives)

power elite

• C. Wright Mills&#039; term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation&#039;s major decisions• includes the most powerful generals and admirals of the armed forces, and certain elite politicians - the president, his cabinet, and senior members of Congress who chair the major committees• corporate leaders are the most powerful

ruling class

• another term for power elite• William Domhoff• he focuses on the 1 percent of Americans who belong to the super-rich, the powerful capitalist class• members of this class control our top corporations and foundations, even the boards that oversee our major universities

war

• armed conflict between nations (or politically distinct groups), is often a part of national policy• simply one option that groups may choose for dealing with disagreements, but not all societies choose this option

3 essential conditions of war

• Nicholas Timasheff 1. antagonistic situation in which two or more states confront incompatible objectives2. cultural tradition of war3. a "fuel" that heats the antagonistic situation to a boiling point, so that politicians cross the line from thinking about way to actually waging it

7 fuels of war

• Nicholas Timasheff 1. Revenge: settling "old scores" from earlier conflicts.2. Power: dictating their will to a weaker nation.3. Prestige: defending the nations "honor."4. Unity: uniting rival groups within their country.5. Poisition: [the leaders] protecting or exalting their own position.6. Ethnicity: bringing under their rule "our people" who are living in another coutry.7. Beliefs: forcibly converting others to religious or political beliefs.

dehumanization

• the process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve to be treated as humans• exposure to brutality and killing often causes this• numbs the conscience, allowing people to participate in acts they would ordinarily condemn